Even on the weekends, this sleek River North bar draws laidback crowds thanks to its devotion to USC football and welcoming atmosphere.

With its Merch Mart-adjacent and transit-friendly location, Highline (169 W. Kinzie St., River North, 312-533-2742) is practically tailor-made for after-work imbibing. But the latest offering from the Four Corners Tavern Group (Kirkwood, Gaslight) doesn’t go dark come Saturday. Thanks to a low-key crowd and a strong football following, the place stays hopping on weekends, too.

In case the sea of cardinal and gold didn’t give it away, Highline is a University of Southern California bar, so weekends bring game-day viewing parties of all ages to their upstairs area. But the place isn’t expressly a sports bar. Downstairs houses a DJ playing EDM tracks. The name of the bar is a play on the nearby train station, and spaces are divided up with wood made to look like train tracks. The come-as-you-are crowd (some in fancy dress, others more chill, and so very many in Trojans jerseys) is just happy to be hanging out.